After several months off the air, Revolution returns Monday night for the second half of its first season and I spoke to one of the show’s stars, Elizabeth Mitchell, about what to expect as the show continues.

When last we saw her character, Rachel, she and her son, Danny, had at last been rescued. So what will it be like now for Rachel to adjust to being out in the world and among the main group, including her daughter, Charlie? Mitchell discusses this and more, including working with some former Lost co-stars and becoming a "science fiction queen.”

IGN TV: Now that Rachel is free, it’s a brand new group that you’re dealing with, except for Danny, so what’s that like, both for your character and for you as an actress?

Elizabeth Mitchell: You know I love being a part of an ensemble. Both as a mother and as a human being, I just like it. I like interacting with people. I don’t want to be the front and center of anything. [Laughs] I never have. It’s not my thing. I love the people that I’m working with. They’re kind, they’re interesting, and they’re excited about what they’re doing. I couldn’t ask for anything more. I’m a big fan of the ensemble, and I’m a big fan of interesting characters within an ensemble, so I’m great. It’s nice to have one or two days off, although that’s not happening much lately.

Elizabeth Mitchell as Rachel Matheson in Revolution

IGN: This is Rachel’s family. She’s reunited, and that’s a great thing. But also, there’s a lot of drama there. Charlie has some abandonment issues. So how is that dynamic between the two of them?

Mitchell: I think it’s prickly -- and filled with love. It’s awkward and weird, and you want it to be better than it is. You keep wishing these two women would make great choices that would enable them to be together and strong and take care of each other. I mean, Rachel’s just been tortured for four years. Charlie’s had no mother. Before then, they were obviously great. I think the whole thing is just tragic, I really do.

IGN: The show uses its flashbacks in a very specific way, giving you these details on the backstory. Are there more to come for your character?

Mitchell: Yeah, I combine with another character -- that I can’t say -- and we have some flashbacks together. I think those are great. That’s the first time someone’s asked that question, and I’m happy to answer it because that’s a great tease. You can guess who it is, but the wonderful thing is, there’s not that many people it could be. So I do have flashbacks with another character, and we do learn more. And they were super fun to do. It’s a good tease. I don’t think I can get in trouble for that one!

IGN: She is clearly a tough character. Obviously, a crucial moment for her was what she did to her friend, in a moment of truth.

Mitchell: Could you do that?

IGN: I don’t know. That’s...

Mitchell: Yeah, I don’t know either. Here’s the thing: my son is the world to me. I’d do anything for him. I would absolutely, completely destroy my own moral code, which is huge, my own idea of the world, which is huge. I would do anything to make sure he was okay. Whether or not I’d be able to stab one of my best friends in cold blood in the abstract, knowing he was about -- I don’t know. I really don’t know. But what it is, is it shows me a fractured psyche. It shows me someone who’s been tortured for four years, who has lost their sense of right and wrong, but who has a sense of loyalty and honor. It’s just feral, let’s say.

IGN: Now that she is out in the world, having been tortured for four years and in a very confined situation, is she pretty crafty or dangerous physically?

Mitchell: I don’t know that she’s dangerous physically. I actually think she’s quite wasted. One of the first things I did was I stopped being as strong as I was and just started running and trying to be generally healthy, because I wanted her to look softer. That was my plan. So I don’t know that she’s dangerous physically. She’s dangerous when cornered in that she has no regard for her own life. She’ll simply just try to destroy whoever’s trying to hurt the people she loves, but I don’t think she’s actively dangerous, no. I think she’s a pacifist. I think she waits until she’s backed into a corner, and then she’s that wild animal. She’s pretty good at it. She’s still me, so she’s big and strong. [Laughs]

IGN: He was saying how your character knows a lot; she has all this information, and they decided she wouldn’t keep holding back on that. I would assume this is very useful information....

Mitchell: I think at some point she gets so angry and so destroyed that she’s absolutely going to use -- it’s almost like she intellectually gets backed into a corner and fights back. She’s a brain. That’s the joy of it. You’re not dealing with some mousy woman, which is what she appears to be. She’s a brainiac, and she’s lethal with her brain. She can accomplish all kinds of things. She didn’t mean to, but she did. But now that she’s on the side of the resistance, I think it’s exciting. As long as she’s there, they actually have a chance.

Continue to Page 2 as Mitchell discusses Revolution’s flashbacks, working with Lost co-stars and more.